Help for the Homeless

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Last night, while on an "emergency" milk run to our local grocery store, I was approached by a sweet family, father, mother and two little girls, humbly asking if I could buy them a loaf of fresh bread. I told them I certainly would and came out with a loaf of bread, a small bag of necessities and some M&Ms, because all little girls need a special treat sometimes. Through broken English and thick accents they tried to tell me that they came here from Los Angeles to find work and that they had no where to stay.

Once home I told my husband the story and how I wish I could have provided them with a place to stay for the night. He wisely voiced that we should know where the closest homeless shelters are so that in the future we can point people to these services.

I spent some time researching last night and found homelesssheltersdirectory.org. This site was started as a list of homeless shelters and now also includes listings of the following:
 - Homeless Service Organizations
- Monetary Assistance
- Transitional Housing
- Free Clinics (Dental and Medical)
- Low Cost and Free Treatment Centers
- Outreach Centers
- Day Shelters
- Relief Organizations that can help the needy
- Women's Shelters and Battered Women's Services
- Food Pantries, Soup Kitchens, Food Banks

This seems like the perfect website to have at the ready on a smart phone. Think about it, no matter where you are, even on vacation out of town, you can easily bless someone by pointing them to the resources they need.

What do you think friend? Would this be a resource you might use? What creative ways have you found to bless those less fortunate?

In Him,
Kim